MASCULINITY & FEMININITY

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Masculinity & Femininity

01 Core Philosophy

This is the beginning of a chart comparing Eastern and Western conceptions of common ideas, particularly how differing views on femininity and masculinity create confusion between the colonized and the colonizers. This is just the start of the dichotomous thinking we’ll be unpacking at The Colonized Collective.

EASTERN CONCEPTION

Gender binary with emphasis on differentiation and opposition.

Transcendence of gender duality; femininity and masculinity as intertwined and fluid.

Embodied in qualities like compassion, patience, resilience, and spiritual strength.

Often associated with emotion, nurturing, and submission.

Not inherently dominant; includes protective, nurturing, and ethical qualities.

Defined by assertiveness, rationality, and dominance.

Femininity often linked to goddesses (e.g., Kali, Durga), combining power and nurture.

Masculinity linked to heroes or warriors emphasizing strength.

Femininity considered a higher, spiritual principle transcending material limitations.

Masculinity more frequently tied to transcendence (e.g., intellect, action).

Both femininity and masculinity seen as necessary for individual and societal balance.

Often dichotomized, with emphasis on competition and hierarchy.

Masculinity linked to autonomy and individual rights.

Femininity often linked to selflessness and dharma (ethical duty).

Gender roles are fluid, but patriarchy co-opts femininity to subordinate women.

Gender roles are rigid and rooted in historical power structures.

Emotional depth and range is valued in both femininity and masculinity.

Emotional expression more associated with femininity, not masculinity.

Colonialism reinforced patriarchal, Western binaries and distorted traditional roles.

Revival of integrated roles as a form of resistance to Western hegemony, but actually becoming a confusing mix of both cultures.

Colonialism exported rigid gender binaries to non-Western societies.

Feminism seeks to challenge rigid binaries and patriarchal norms, but ends up with females trying to take on male roles.

EASTERN CONCEPTION

WESTERN CONCEPTION